For someone who took to acting to gain experience with no prior acting skills, not having learnt any basics at any institution, this sprightly girl has made it into a full-fledged career. Today, she aspires to keep challenging herself and polishing her skills while taking up different roles. Ashika Ranganath, who made a crazy debut in Mahesh Babu’s directorial Crazy Boy, is now all smiles after back-to-back successes in Yogaraj Bhat’s Mugulu Nage and her latest Raju Kannada Medium. While she portrayed one among other heroines in the films, her beautiful and innocent portrayal has been much-appreciated. This has also led her to essay roles in bigger films like Shashank’s Tayagi Takka Maga. Being a part of Rambo 2 is also a huge break for Ashika.
Her full-fledged heroine role is a huge high for the actress. Ashika speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle on her fortunes for the year ahead and more. But first, it’s education, as she is busy preparing for her final year graduation examinations.
“Even before I took up films, I had always heard things about the difficulty in bagging bigger projects and working under big banners or under reputed filmmakers. However, when I did get an offer, I decided to take it, give it a try before judging based purely on heresay. I was totally alien to the world of acting. With no skills and no formal training, my first film was a platform to understand the art, and learn the basics. Gradually, acting became a passion and films like Mugulu Nage and Raju Kannada Medium made me gain immense confidence, literally turning me into a professional actress,” smiles Ashika.
In her next film Rambo 2, which is the sequel to the hit film Rambo starring Sharan, Ashika emotes a greater screen presence as the lone heroine, unlike her last few films where she shared the screen with other heroines.
“While the audience loved my smaller roles, many wanted me to take up larger ones, and not limit myself to innocent characters. Thankfully, social media helped me stay in touch with my fans directly. I am happy and I always assure them that in my next few films they will see more of me in different avatars,”Ashika reveals.
For instance, her character in the sequel venture Rambo 2, has to face a whole new set of challenges. “From my appearance to the role I portray, it is something new compared to what I had done so far. It was indeed challenging for me. The role I essay is about an independent girl who is quite similar to present generation girls. Till now, I was playing soft-centered characters but playing a carefree girl was a real task for me.”
The girl born in Hassan, was brought up in Tumkuru and moved to Bengaluru for academics. Her sister Anusha, too, is an actress on television, who has earned critical appreciation for her impressive work. In Shashank’s directorial Tayige Takka Maga starring Ajay and senior actress Sumalatha Ambareesh, she essays a rather mature role, wrapped in a romantic tale and how she overcomes hurdles in her personal life and family.
With her final semester graduation exams around the corner, Ashika, a student of MES, is busy in her books and has not taken any new projects.
